Garment hanger and bag

ABSTRACT

A combination of garment hanger and plastic bag, wherein the garment is folded over and then inserted into an open end of the bag, the fold inwards. The hanger has two arms and a hanger bar therebelow, suspended from the extremities of the bar. The bar can be disconnected at one end, thrust through one edge of the bag, through the fold on the garment, and then out through the other edge of the bag, after which the then protruding end of the bar is reconnected to the hanger.

United States Patent [72] lnventor Walton B. Crane Sherman Oaks, Calif.

[21] Appl. No. 772,267

[22] Filed Oct. 31,1968

[45] Patented Jan. 26, 1971 [73] Assignee Allied Plastics Company Los Angeles, Calif. a corporation of California.

[54] GARMENT HANGER AND BAG 1 Claim, 7 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S. Cl 206/7, 206/46 [51] Int. Cl 865d 85/18 501 Field of Search 206/7(H),

7(D), 7(M), 7(K), 46(Appare1); 229/62, 53, 54; 150/7, 3; 21 1/45, 57; 223/88, 95, 96

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,512,130 10/1924 Pardue 211/45 2,385,053 9/1945 Bohn 206/71-1 2,709,467 5/1955 Hoeppner... 229/62( UX) 2,991,874 7/1961 Brandt 206/7 3,117,712 1/1964 Kugler 229/62 3,256,976 6/1966 Greason 229/53 3,280,986 10/1966 Nusser et a1. 211/57 Primary Examiner-William T. Dixson, Jr. Attorney-Forrest J. Lilly ABSTRACT: A combination of garment hanger and plastic bag, wherein the garment is folded over and then inserted into an open end of the bag, the fold inwards. The hanger has two arms and a hanger bar therebelow, suspended from the extremities of the bar. The bar can be disconnected at one end, thrust through one edge of the bag, through the fold on the garment, and then out through the other edge of the bag, after which the then protruding end of the bar is reconnected to the hanger.

GARMENT HANGER AND BAG FlELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to the art of garment packaging, particularly for such articles as womens sweaters, such as are normally packaged with one medial, transverse fold therein; and the invention is directed both to a package for such garments and to a hanger by which the packaged garments can be conveniently and efficiently suspended.

BACKGROUND OF THE lNVENTlON Garment hangers are well known, as are simple bags or envelopes, often made of a thin, flexible, transparent plastic material such as polyethylene sheeting. It is the general purpose of the present invention to accomplish a new and useful combination of envelope and hanger, facilitating the packaging and hanging of garments such as sweaters at different stages of their handling in the course of their transportation from factory to warehouse to retailer.

BRlEF SUMMARY OF THE lNVENTlON The invention provides a rectangular envelope, open along the bottom, into which a sweater, for example, folded over on a medial transverse fold line can be inserted, the folded end being inserted first and so being located at the closed end of the envelope. The hanger is of a hook type, resembling partly, in superficial appearance, a conventional garment hanger, with a hanger bar between the extremities of its two arms. The bar has a separable joint or connector at one end, and when released, the free extremity can be inserted through a hole at one side edge of the envelope, in line with the fold in the garment, and the bar then run through the loop or bight of this fold, and then projected out through a hole in the opposite side edge of the envelope. The free end of the projecting part of the bar is then reconnected to the hanger, whence the garment, with the envelope around it, can be suspended by the hook of the hanger. Both the bag and the hanger have additional salient features, which can best be left, however, to be described and stressed in the following detailed description of a present preferred embodiment of the invention.

BRlEF DESCRlPTlON OF THE DRAWINGS How the above, as well as other, objects and advantages of the present invention are achieved will be more readily understood by reference to the following description and to the annexed drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic flow sheet diagram illustrating the garment, bag, and hanger of the invention in successive stages of assembly;

HO. 2 is a longitudinal section taken through the bag on line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

H6. 3 is a perspective view of the hanger, garment, and bag, assembled with one another in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the connection means between the hanger bar and one dependent end portion of a hanger arm, showing the parts separated;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the parts of FIG. 4, shown in the same position;

FIG. 6 is a side elevation of these parts, but with the parts connected; and

FIG. 7 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 7-7 of F166.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In the interconnected series of diagrams of FIG. 1, and in FIGS. 2 and 3, numeral 10 designates a suitable garment, such as a lady's sweater, doubled, or folded over, on a transverse fold line, the fold, or bight of the fold, being designated at 11.

Numeral l2 designates a suitable, preferably transparent, plastic envelope or bag, made up of rectangular front and back panels 14 and 15 joined, as by heat sealing, along their side and top edges. The front panel terminates somewhat short of the back panel at the bottom, its lower edge 1411 being, for example, about 2 inches above the lower edge 15a of the back panel. The back panel 15 is turned up at to provide a wall 16 which is joined at its vertical ends to the side edges of the back panel, and thus forms a pocket. The upper edge 16a of this pocket is preferably several inches above the lower edge 14a of the front panel.

Normally, the garment 10 is introduced into the envelope 12 at the factory, the foldedover garment 10 being introduced into the bag folded end or bight first, under the lower edge 14a of front panel 14, and over the pocket wall 16 (and thus outside the pocket) as indicated in the first two of the succession of positions represented in FIG. 1. lt will be noted that the two edges of the bag have two aligned edge holes 19 and 20 near the upper end of the bag, just below the anticipated location of the medial fold of the introduced garment.

A hanger 30 is then engaged with the bag and the garment therein. This hanger 30 has two arms 31 projecting oppositely from a central head 32 provided with a conventional hook 30a. The arms 31 extend generally horizontally outward from the head 32 and include depending extremities 33 and 34, between the lower ends of which is a crossbar 35, As is evident, the folded-over sweater or other garment is to be hung over the crossbar; and to facilitate hanging, the bar is fixed at one end to the lower end of the depending arm extremity 34, and provided at its other end with a quick-release joint or connection 40 to the lower end of the depending arm extremity 33. Such arrangements, broadly, have been provided in the past on coat hangers equipped with a trousers hanger bar. In such arrangements, the bar may be disconnected at one end, quickly run through under the fold or bight of the garment, and reconnected. The present device has certain preferred improvements which will be described.

The bar 35 must, of course, be movable, when disconnected, relative to the balance of the hanger, and for such purpose might be pivoted or universal-joint-connected to the lower end of the arm member 34.

Preferably, however, the hanger is an injection-molded plastic, of any suitable type, and is slender and flexible enough that the bar 35 is relatively easily bendable laterally, as well as limitedly up or down, sufficiently to meet the needs of disconnection, insertion under or removal from the fold of the garment, and reconnection. In fact, to curtail undue flexibility, the arms of the hanger comprise a vertical planar web 41, around the outside of which is a peripheral bead 42, while the crossbar has a vertical planar web 43, with a bead 44 along its upper edge.

The preferred connection means 40 may be described as follows: The lower end of the hanger arm member 33 terminates in a short inward (horizontal) projection 50 of its bead 42. Rising from the extremity of this projection is a locking lug 51, which lies contiguous to one outside plane of the web 41 (see FIG. 7). The web 41 terminates at the bead projection 50, at a position spaced from the near edge 54 of the lug 51. This edge 54 is made up of a portion 54a, with a notch 54b at the base thereof. Near the lefthand extremity of the crossbar 43, the portion of bead 44 outside of web 43 terminates vertically downward, as at 56, forming notch 57, to the depth of the adjacent face of web 43, for reception of lug 51. Beyond this notch 57, the bar 35 has an outwardly offset lug 60, formed with a neck portion 61 which is received between lug S1 and the web 41 at the bottom of arm portion 35. The inside surface of this lug 60 overlaps and engages the web 41 at the bottom of arm portion 35. The edge 60a of the lug b0 confronting inclined locking lug edge 54 is vertical (FIG. 6), and at the lower extremity of the lug 60 is formed a small lug or projection 62 adapted to engage in the notch 5417 at the base of locking lug edge 54. Preferably, a vertical head or lug 63 is formed on the inner edge of web 41, spaced at short distance above lug 51.

To connect the bar, it is placed in the position of FIG. (see also FIG. 4), and pressed downward. By bending and twisting the end of the arm 35 somewhat, the lug 60 is moved over the bead 63, and past the edge 54 on lug 51, with the lug 62 finally snapping into the notch 54b, the parts then attaining the position of FIG. 6, and being tightly locked. it will be seen that to cause the lug 60 to ride over the lug edge 54, the hanger parts 33 and 34 have to resiliently deflect slightly toward one another. Attention is directed to a small clearance at 64, between bead 56 and the lug 51, which stands normally open, and which may close if arm 33 is deflected slightly to the right to disengage the locking lug 62 from the notch 54b. The locking pressure is sufficient to prevent the connection from being readily dislodged. For release, the arm 33 is deflected toward the right, making use of the clearance 64; and the end portion of the arm twisted to clear lug or bead 63. The discon' nection thus is accomplished only with a degree of difficulty, such that disconnection will occur only when intended, and not accidentally during handling or pressure exertion incident to packing or shipping.

it was described hereinabove how the garment is inserted into the bag from the bottom, folded end up, and left at first outside the pocket 16. The hanger is then manipulated to release its bar, the bar is inserted through the bag and the fold of the garment and the garment racked up by the hanger hook 33, for transportation from the factory to the warehouse. At the warehouse, the bag is opened at the bottom, and a tag 70 attached thereto. The garment is then tucked inside the bag pocket 16.

The bag and contents are then transported, suspended by the hook, on suitable racks, in suitable containers to the retailer, where they arrive in clean, unwrinkled condition. At the retailer, several options are available. The retailer may display the garments suspended by the hanger with the bag in place, or removed. Or; in some cases, the hanger may be removed, and the garments stored or displayed stacked, but within the bags. Finally, both the bags and the hangers may be removed, and the garments merely stacked.

I claim:

1. A bag and hanger combination for a garment having a medial transverse fold, comprising:

a garment hanger having a hook, two arms extending up positely and downwardly therefrom to two dependent extremities, and. a flexible hanger bar connected at a first end thereof to one of said arm extremities and having connecting and locking means at its opposite end for manually-releasable but tight-locking connection thereof to the other of said arm extremities, said locking means being adapted to resist unlocking excepting by deliberate manual effort including resilient deformation of the hanger; and

a plastic bag assembled with said hanger and with a garment hung at its medial fold over said bar, said bag having from and rear panels joined to one another at the top and side edges thereof to form it with closed side edges and a closed top, leaving an opening at the bottom, said hanger arms being disposed over and outside the upper end portion of said bag, said garment being enclosed within said bag, with its folded end at said upper end portion, said upper end portion of said bag having transversely aligned holes for said hanger bar in the side edges thereof, and said hanger bar protruding from its said first end through one of said side edge bag holes, thence through the bight of the fold in said garment, and thence through the other of said side edge bag holes to its releasable connection to said other of said arm extremities. 

1. A bag and hanger combination for a garment having a medial transverse fold, comprising: a garment hanger having a hook, two arms extending oppositely and downwardly therefrom to two dependent extremities, and a flexible hanger bar connected at a first end thereof to one of said arm extremities and having connecting and locking means at its opposite end for manually-releasable but tight-locking connection thereof to the other of said arm extremities, said locking means being adapted to resist unlocking excepting by deliberate manual effort including resilient deformation of the hanger; and a plastic bag assembled with said hanger and with a garment hung at its medial fold over said bar, said bag having front and rear panels joined to one another at the top and side edges thereof to form It with closed side edges and a closed top, leaving an opening at the bottom, said hanger arms being disposed over and outside the upper end portion of said bag, said garment being enclosed within said bag, with its folded end at said upper end portion, said upper end portion of said bag having transversely aligned holes for said hanger bar in the side edges thereof, and said hanger bar protruding from its said first end through one of said side edge bag holes, thence through the bight of the fold in said garment, and thence through the other of said side edge bag holes to its releasable connection to said other of said arm extremities. 